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Political Jujitsu: Fixing the GOP’s Messaging Problem

Since November's debacle, hundreds of conservative pundits and activists have wrung their hands over the GOP’s messaging problem. Luckily for Republicans my background is in branding, marketing and communications, so let's fix this.

In today's mainstream media, conservatives can't catch a break. Epic Democratic catastrophes are ignored while minor Republican faux pas are branded as threats to the republic. Among the chattering classes liberalism has all the power; that won’t be reversed overnight. So conservatives must use liberals' power against them.

The Japanese term for this technique is jujitsu — literally, "the art of yielding." Instead of rushing to fight a stronger opponent head-on, a jujitsu fighter wins by co-opting his opponent's strength. If the attacker throws a devastating punch at your face, you grasp his arm and redirect it to the ground behind you. Sure, the bad guy is more powerful, but that power leads to his defeat.

A major source of liberal power is the ability to set a narrative through the D.C. press corps. In November President Obama said of the fiscal cliff, "I refuse to accept any approach that isn't balanced." A few weeks later, the Washington Post conducted a poll and declared, "the public clearly wants a balanced approach to spending cuts and tax increases." Google "Obama balanced approach" and you get 2.4 million hits. Boom, the narrative has been set.

How did the GOP respond? By directly attacking the now-entrenched narrative. No, no, NO. Use the strength of the liberals’ narrative to defeat them.

Obama chose the term "balanced approach" because it's a blandly positive phrase no one can oppose on its face. He doesn't mention the fact that his idea of "balance" is massive tax hikes and no budget cuts, but few voters delve into the details. Obama is for balance > balance is nice > yay Obama!

The GOP’s jujitsu move would be to grasp the phrase “balanced approach” and redirect it to their advantage. They could present it to the American people this way:

Much like the President, we support a balanced approach to the budget. In fact, many of us have advocated a balanced budget for decades. Sadly, politicians of both parties have spent more than they’ve taken in for a long time, but we’re glad the White House wants to put an end to these irresponsible and unbalanced budgets. We have presented our balanced budget to President Obama and look forward to seeing his balanced budget so we can find a win/win for the American people. We hope that Senator Reid will agree to this balanced approach by passing this bipartisan budget as soon as possible.

Instead of attacking the powerful narrative head-on, this above statement uses its power to defeat liberalism. In a few lines, “balanced approach” is redefined as “balanced budget” — a long-standing conservative principle. Bipartisan no longer means “Republicans caving to Democrats” but “Democrats agreeing with Republicans.” Speaker Boehner was removed from the “obstructionist” hot seat and Senate Majority Leader Reid was enthroned upon it. We have gained the rhetorical advantage without compromising any of our beliefs.

If conservatives want to win over the public on the debt ceiling debate, let’s start by conflating Obama's "balanced approach" with "balanced budget." A subtle and swift redefining of the term will put the Democrats on defense for a change.

I'm a newcomer to this site , but you will be hearing from me on a regular basis from this time foreward . This article has won me over . This approach is one that I hadn't thought of , and I'm pleased to find a site that has constuctive ideas instead of just whining about the problems we face as free Americans .
Keep up the good work , and I will try to help develope new and innovative solutions if and when I can .

I agree with Dianna. We need someone to take a positive approach opposed to the mealy mouthed characters we have in there now "Boehner if the shoe fits" and the rest of the RNC that is afraid to say anything and always acquiesce to the libs.

The House passed an amendment on June 19 to require the National Security Agency (NSA) and other intelligence agencies to obtain a warrant prior to collecting the communications of American citizens. This is pretty basic stuff, and it’s not a partisan issue - the amendment passed with the support of 158 Democrats and 135 Republicans.

FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe comment on Rep. Labrador's leadership run, "Rep. Labrador's impressive performance is indicative of a growing liberty caucus that is ready to make a policy agenda of individual liberty and fiscal responsibility a priority in the House. We are looking forward to an even bigger group of liberty leadership candidates after the elections in November."

Capitol Hill Update, 10 February, 2014House & Senate/Schedule: Both chambers are in session this week. Both will recess on Wednesday and leave town through the 24th of February, unless an agreement is reached on the debt ceiling.

This week, the GOP Executive Committee in South Carolina unanimously voted to reject Common Core standards. The resolution, which can be viewed here, is a huge step forward in the fight against Common Core.

Demographics matter, and after the disappointing 2012 election results, the GOP has decided it may be a good idea to focus on growing the party by reaching out to the youth and minority communities. Ignoring certain demographics will continue to hurt the party, as will ignoring key issues. Just like during the 2012 campaign cycle, the GOP is leaving out a key issue that could not only grow the party, but more importantly, could help millions of children receive a better education. I'm referring to school choice.

Tuesday night was pretty bleak for those of us that value freedom and liberty in state governance. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli mounted a valiant effort against a very well funded Democrat, Terry McAuliffe but fell just short of victory.

Senator Ted Cruz may be an outcast in Washington DC, and a thorn in the side of the Republican National Committee as well as GOP leadership, but at home he is a hero. This week citizens have been hosting rallies to welcome Senator Cruz back to the Lonestar state to publically applaud and thank him for his courageous stand against Obamacare and big government bureaucrats in both parties.

When Washington raised the debt ceiling this week, the Beltway media breathlessly reported that the fiscal crisis had ended. Lawyers danced in hallways, bureaucrats twerked on the Metro, congressional aides kissed strangers in the streets — the Tea Party has been defeated! It was like VJ day for wonks.